The invention relates to protective eyegear for use in sports activities, particularly sports involving water contact where it is desirable to seal the eye in a chamber which is protected from the external aqueous environment.
Numerous goggle devices have been designed for use by swimmers in order to limit exposure of the swimmer's eyes to water and other potential irritants, such as chlorine, which are typically present in swimming pools. Most prior art swim goggles are designed to fit "extra-orbitally", meaning that the back rim of a cup-shaped eyepiece rests against the swimmer's external facial bones and soft structures which surround the eye orbit. There are several significant limitations with this type of design.
One problem with extra-orbitally fitting swim goggles is that they protrude outward from a swimmer's face creating water resistance when the swimmer moves horizontally through the water. Water resistance decreases swim speed and can cause goggle displacement when the swimmer pushes off from a wall or dives into a pool.
Another problem with most extra-orbitally fitting goggles is that they typically utilize a suction mechanism to seal the eyes from the external environment. Suction inducing goggles tend to cause pain, and in severe cases, tissue and lymphatic damage.
Others have attempted to restrict goggle size in order to reduce water resistance. One approach is to reduce the lateral dimension of the goggle lens. A problem with this approach is that it limits the swimmer's peripheral vision which is particularly important in a competitive situation where the swimmer needs to be able to see other swimmer's in adjacent lanes. Another approach which has been tried to reduce goggle water resistance is to employ relatively shallow eyepiece walls in conjunction with a curved front lens. There are at least two problems with this approach. First, the curved lens tends to distort the swimmer's view. Second, excessively shallow eyepiece walls tend to position the lens too close to the swimmer's eye, causing interference with the user's eyelid and/or lash.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a comfortable pair of swim goggles which produce minimal water resistance when worn by a swimmer.
Another object is for the swim goggles to allow good peripheral vision without distorting the swimmer's view.
Another object is for the goggles to seal the swimmer's eyes from the external environment without inducing a significant suction effect.